Psyched: Educational Psychiatry Podcast

Welcome to PsychEd, the psychiatry podcast for medical learners, by medical learners.This episode covers Working with Borderline Personality Disorder in the Emergency Department with Dr. Bruce Fage, a psychiatrist in Toronto working in emergency and acute care psychiatry, and an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto. His interests include the relational and systems issues that shape psychiatric care in crisis settings. He is also a former founding member of PsychEd!The learning objectives for this episode are as follows:Explain how the emergency department environment influences presentations of borderline personality disorderKnow when to apply the diagnosis of borderline personality in the emergency settingDemonstrate effective management strategies for patients with BPD in the EDEvaluate appropriate use of emergency and inpatient care for BPD presentationsGuest:Dr. Bruce FageHosts:Sara Abrahamson (MS3)Shelly Palchik (MS4)Angad Singh (PGY2)Audio editing:Angad Singh (PGY2)For more PsychEd, follow u

Welcome to PsychEd, the psychiatry podcast for medical learners, by medical learners. This short episode covers the basics of serotonin syndrome.Hosts: Eric Yu (MS3)Dr. Angad Singh (PGY2)Dr. Shaoyuan Wang (PGY5)Audio Editing: Dr. Angad Singh (PGY2)References:1. Boyer, E. W. (2024). Serotonin syndrome (serotonin toxicity). In UpToDate.2. Buckley, N. A., Dawson, A. H., & Isbister, G. K. (2014). Serotonin syndrome. Bmj, 348.3. Dunkley, E. J. C., Isbister, G. K., Sibbritt, D., Dawson, A. H., & Whyte, I. M. (2003). The Hunter Serotonin Toxicity Criteria: simple and accurate diagnostic decision rules for serotonin toxicity. Qjm, 96(9), 635-642.4. Foong, A. L., Grindrod, K. A., Patel, T., & Kellar, J. (2018). Demystifying serotonin syndrome (or serotonin toxicity). Canadian Family Physician, 64(10), 720-727.For more PsychEd, follow us on Instagram (⁠@psyched.podcast⁠), Facebook (⁠PsychEd Podcast⁠), X (⁠@psychedpodcast⁠), and Bluesky (⁠@psychedpodcast.bsky.social‬⁠). You can email us at ⁠psychedpodcast@gm

Welcome to PsychEd, the psychiatry podcast for medical learners, by medical learners. This is our second book club episode centered around the novel Healing: Our Path from Mental Illness to Mental Health by Thomas Insel, MD.This book is a part memoir / part manifesto written by one of our generation’s most important leaders in neuroscience and psychiatry, Dr. Thomas Insel. Dr. Insel served as the director of the NIMH for 13 years from 2002-2015. Healing is replete with his reflections on personal and clinical experiences as well as epidemiological data, research, and policies related to mental health. Dr. Insel argues that medicine’s failure to significantly reduce the mortality and morbidity of psychiatric illnesses is less due to a lack of scientific progress, and more a result of poor implementation of existing interventions that are already well supported by the evidence.Guest: Dr. Thomas InselHosts: Dr. Gaurav Sharma - Staff psychiatrist working in Nunavut, CanadaDr. Kate Braithwaite - Family doctor from

Welcome to PsychEd, the psychiatry podcast for medical learners, by medical learners. This short episode covers harm reduction principles.Hosts: Dr. Andrew Nguyen, Dr. Zakia Hussain, and Shelly PalchikAudio editing: Dr. Kate BraithwaiteEpisode Evaluation: Dr. Angad SinghResources:Chapter 4: Substance Use and Addictive Disorders. In Kaplan & Sadock’s Synopsis of Psychiatry: Behavioral SciencesServing Clients Who Use Substances: A guide for community workersA Harm Reduction Approach (Alberta Health Services)References:Alberta Health Services. A Harm Reduction Approach: Key Principles.BC Centre for Disease Control (2023). Harm Reduction Services & Supply Guidelines.Canadian Mental Health Association Ontario. Harm Reduction.Ontario Ministry of Health (2018). Substance Use Prevention and Harm Reduction Guideline.NL Centre for Applied Health Research (2020). Harm Reduction 101.Public Health Agency of Canada. Reducing Stigma Toward People Who Use Drugs.For more PsychEd, follow us on Instagram (@psyched.podca

Welcome to PsychEd, the psychiatry podcast for medical learners, by medical learners.This episode covers psychiatry and ethics in the Ontario context with Dr. Suze Berkhout, a clinician investigator and practicing psychiatrist working in acute inpatient psychiatry at University Health Network. She is an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto in the department of psychiatry and affiliate faculty with the Institute for the History & Philosophy of Science and Technology. Her research draws on critical creative methods in ethnography, art-science collaborations, and feminist science and technology studies, to consider the politics of diagnosis and social lives of interventions and emerging technologies in biomedicine. She works with artists, service users, clinicians and scientists to understand how serious illness experiences impact our sense of identity and our social roles, and she studies the impacts of novel and emerging technologies on experiences in healthcare settings. Suze loves coffee and

Welcome to PsychEd, the psychiatry podcast for medical learners, by medical learners. This short episode covers the basics of sleep hygiene.Hosts: Jo Kikukawa (MS2) and Grant Yao (MS4)Audio editing: Grant YaoTimestamps:(0:33) - Background(2:07) - Core principles and strategies(5:37) - Counselling on sleep(6:18) - When to get help with sleep(7:29) - SummaryReferences:Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Sleep disorders. CAMH.Harvard Health Publishing. Sleep hygiene: Simple practices for better rest. Harvard Health.Qaseem A, Kansagara D, Forciea MA, Cooke M, Denberg TD. Management of chronic insomnia disorder in adults: A clinical practice guideline from the American College of Physicians. Ann Intern Med. 2016;165(2):125–133.Sleep Foundation. Sleep hygiene. SleepFoundation.org.Spielman AJ, Caruso LS, Glovinsky PB. Behavioral treatment of insomnia: A clinical case series. Sleep. 1987;10(1):87–92.For more PsychEd, follow us on Instagram (⁠@psyched.podcast⁠),  Facebook (⁠PsychEd Podcast⁠), X (⁠@psychedpodcast⁠)

Welcome to PsychEd, the psychiatry podcast for medical learners, by medical learners. This short episode covers Types of SubstancesHosts: Sara Abrahamson, Shaoyuan Wang and Kate Braithwaite.Audio Editing: Kate BraithwaiteReferences:American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5, text revision (DSM-5-TR). 5th ed. Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Association Publishing; 2022.CAMH. (2013). Inhalants. Inhalants | CAMHCAMH. (2010). Cocaine and Crack. https://www.camh.ca/en/health-info/mental-illness-and-addiction-index/cocaineCAMH. (2012). Amphetamines. https://www.camh.ca/en/health-info/mental-illness-and-addiction-index/amphetamines#:~:text=Chronic%20use%20of%20amphetamines%20can,can%20also%20cause%20amphetamine%20psychosis.Chae J, Marsden J and Sutherland A. (2024, August 21). Benzodiazepine Withdrawal. Emergency Care BC. Benzodiazepine Withdrawal : Emergency Care BCChildHealthBC. (2023, September 21). Common Street names for Substances. https://childhealthb

Welcome to PsychEd, the psychiatry podcast for medical learners, by medical learners.This episode covers the psychiatric case presentation with Dr. Justin Delwo, a staff psychiatrist at Toronto Western Hospital where he works in the emergency department and urgent care settings.The learning objectives for this episode are as follows:What is the goal of a psychiatric case presentation?What are some ground rules for a case presentation?What are the key sections of a case presentation and what should you include under each? How can you tailor your case presentation to the settingGuest: Dr. Justin DelwoHosts: Dr. Matt Cho (PGY1), Dr. Daamoon Ghahari (PGY2), and Dr. Angad Singh (PGY2)Audio editing: Dr. Angad Singh (PGY2)Episode evaluation: Shelly Palchik (MS4)Time Stamps:(1:50) - Goals of a case presentation(4:49) - Ground rules for presenting(7:56) - General overview(19:44) - Identifying Data(23:16) - Chief complaint and reason for referral(25:42) - History of presenting illness(38:38) - Review of systems(42:16)

Welcome to PsychEd, the psychiatry podcast for medical learners, by medical learners. This short episode covers how to take a substance use historyHosts: Dr. Andrew Nguyen, Dr. Zakia Hussain, Jo Kikukawa, and Dr. Kate Braithwaite.Audio editing: Dr. Kate BraithwaiteResources:Chapter 4: Substance Use and Addictive Disorders. In Kaplan & Sadock’s Synopsis of Psychiatry: Behavioral SciencesMeta:Phi Resource LibraryTen Domains of De-escalation to Prevent Behavioural Emergencies (from Alberta Health Services)References:American Psychiatric Association Publishing. (2022). Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders. In Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: Fifth Edition, Text Revision: DSM-5-TR (5th ed., pp. 481-590). American Psychiatric Association Publishing. Boland, R.J., Verduin, M.L., & Ruiz, P. (2022). Chapter 4: Substance Use and Addictive Disorders. In Kaplan & Sadock’s Synopsis of Psychiatry: Behavioral Sciences, Clinical Psychiatry (12th ed., pp. 269 - 336). Wolters Kluwer. Port

Welcome to PsychEd, the psychiatry podcast for medical learners, by medical learners.This episode covers Functional Neurological Disorder with Dr. Patricia Rosebush. Dr. Rosebush is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences at McMaster University. She is the distinguished author of numerous articles on clinical neuroscience, including considerable work on mitochondrial disorders in mental illness and over 30 papers on catatonia, and practices consultation-liaison psychiatry at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton.The learning objectives for this episode are as follows:Provide a definition and conceptual approach to FNDIdentify clinical signs and patient histories relevant to a diagnosis of FNDDescribe an approach to the treatment of FNDUnderstand the special challenges of communication and collaboration in this illnessGuest: Dr. Patricia RosebushHosts: Dr. Alastair Morrison, Dr. Kate BraithwaiteAudio editing: Dr. Alastair MorrisonShow notes: Dr. Kate BraithwaiteInterview content:

Welcome to PsychEd, the psychiatry podcast for medical learners, by medical learners. This episode covers metabolic monitoring for patients on antipsychotic medications.Hosts: Grant Yao (MS4) and Dr. Angad Singh (PGY2)Audio editing: Dr. Angad Singh (PGY2)Timestamps:(0:21) - Background(2:22) - Monitoring for metabolic side effects(6:16) - Managing metabolic side effects(9:50) - SummaryReferences:Agarwal, S. M., Stogios, N., Faulkner, G. E., & Hahn, M. (2023). Pharmacological interventions for the prevention of antipsychotic-induced weight gain in people with schizophrenia: A Cochrane systematic review and meta-analysis. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 49(4), 833-835.Carolan, A., Hynes-Ryan, C., Agarwal, S. M., Bourke, R., Cullen, W., Gaughran, F., ... & O’Donoghue, B. (2024). Metformin for the prevention of antipsychotic-induced weight gain: guideline development and consensus validation. Schizophrenia bulletin, sbae205.Cooper, S. J., Reynolds, G. P., With expert co-authors (in alphabetical order):, Barnes, T.

Welcome to PsychEd, the psychiatry podcast for medical learners, by medical learners.This episode is part of the PsychEd Book Club, a forum where we discuss books of interest to psychiatry learners from a variety of disciplines. We invite you to read along with us and contribute to our discussion.This short introductory episode gives you a heads-up about our upcoming book club on Healing: Our Path from Mental Illness to Mental Health by Thomas Insel. Stay tuned for a longer episode in a few months where we’ll share our thoughts on the book.If you’d like to share your thoughts or questions about the book, email us at psychedpodcast@gmail.com or reach out on social media.Hosts: Dr. Kate Braithwaite, Dr. Sophie Gregoire-Mitha, Dr. Gaurav SharmaAudio editing by: Dr. Gaurav SharmaFor more PsychEd, follow us on Instagram (⁠@psyched.podcast⁠),  Facebook (⁠PsychEd Podcast⁠), X (⁠@psychedpodcast⁠), and Bluesky (⁠@psychedpodcast.bsky.social‬⁠). You can email us at ⁠psychedpodcast@gmail.com⁠ and visit our website at⁠ ⁠⁠

Welcome to PsychEd, the psychiatry podcast for medical learners, by medical learners. This episode covers goals of care conversations.Our guest for this episode is Dr. Tavis Apramian, a clinician-investigator in the Department of Family & Community Medicine (DFCM) at the University of Toronto and scientist in the Office of Education Scholarship. He works as a palliative care physician at St. Michael’s Hospital and at Kensington Hospice. His largely qualitative program of research is focused on advance care planning; workplace-based learning and assessment; palliative care in family medicine; medical assistance in dying; and inequity in end-of-life care. His primary focus is on telling rich stories of learner and patient experiences to spark conversation about socioculturally complex educational and clinical problems in serious illness.The learning objectives for this episode are as follows:Describe a palliative approach to care and its relevance across different contextsDemonstrate a structured and compas

Welcome to PsychEd, the psychiatry podcast for medical learners, by medical learners. This short episode covers the basics of electroconvulsive therapy.Hosts: Ravi Bhindi (CC3), Dr. Angad Singh (PGY2)Audio Editing: Dr. Angad Singh (PGY2)Show Notes: Dr. Angad Singh (PGY2)Time Stamps:(0:36) - What is ECT?(2:18) - Indications and efficacy(4:35) - Treatment course(4:32) - Combination treatment(6:33) - Medications to discontinue(8:16) - Contraindications(9:40) - Side effects(11:52) - Procedure(16:03) - SummaryResources:https://www.camh.ca/en/health-info/mental-illness-and-addiction-index/electroconvulsive-therapyhttps://sunnybrook.ca/content/?page=psychiatry-electroconvulsive-therapy-ect-faqReferences:Andrade, C., Arumugham, S. S., & Thirthalli, J. (2016). Adverse Effects of Electroconvulsive Therapy. The Psychiatric clinics of North America, 39(3), 513–530.Brakemeier, E. L., Merkl, A., Wilbertz, G., Quante, A., Regen, F., Bührsch, N., van Hall, F., Kischkel, E., Danker-Hopfe, H., Anghelescu, I., Heuser, I., K

Welcome to PsychEd, the psychiatry podcast for medical learners, by medical learners. This episode covers exercise as a treatment for depression. Our guest for this episode is Dr. Nicholas Fabiano, a third-year psychiatry resident at the University of Ottawa. His research focuses on the overlap between mental and physical health, particularly lifestyle measures that can be used to improve mental health, including exercise, diet, and sleep.The learning objectives for this episode are as follows:Understand the evidence supporting the antidepressant effects of exercise Explore the mechanisms underlying the benefits of exerciseLearn how to prescribe exercise as a treatment for depressionIdentify the risks and caveats of prescribing exercise for depressionGuest: Dr. Nicholas Fabiano (PGY3)Hosts: Dr. Wendy MacMillan-Wang (PGY4) and Dr. Angad Singh (PGY1)Audio Editing: Dr. Angad Singh (PGY1)Timestamps:(2:55) Origins of the interest in exercise(6:22) Evidence of antidepressant effects(14:05) Considerations in special

Welcome to PsychEd, the psychiatry podcast for medical learners, by medical learners. This short episode covers the mental status exam.Hosts: Dr. Matthew Cho (PGY1) and Dr. Angad Singh (PGY2)Audio editing: Dr. Angad Singh (PGY2)Episode Evaluation: Shelly Palchik (MS4)Timestamps:(0:20) Basics of the mental status exam(2:05) Appearance(4:00) Behaviour(5:00) Cooperation(6:20) Speech(7:18) Emotions(9:12) Perception(10:15) Thought process(12:35) Thought content(13:28) Insight(14:10) Judgement(14:46) CognitionReference: Donnelly, J., Rosenberg, M., & Fleeson, W. P. (1970). The evolution of the mental status—past and future. American Journal of Psychiatry, 126(7), 997-1002.Folstein, M. F., Folstein, S. E., & McHugh, P. R. (1975). “Mini-mental state”: a practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for the clinician. Journal of psychiatric research, 12(3), 189-198.Norris, D. R., Clark, M. S., & Shipley, S. (2016). The mental status examination. American family physician, 94(8), 635-641.Psyc

Welcome to PsychEd, the psychiatry podcast for medical learners, by medical learners.This episode covers South Asian mental health with Dr. Farooq Naeem, a senior scientist with the Institute for Mental Health Policy Research and a psychiatrist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. He is also a professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto.Dr. Naeem pioneered techniques for culturally adapting CBT. These techniques have been used to adapt CBT in South Asia, North Africa, Middle East, Kenya and China. His research areas include CBT, psychosis, and culture, with an overall aim to improve access to CBT. He has also published on issues related to health services and quality improvement. He works with a team of IT experts and has developed a CBT-based therapy program — called eGuru — that can be delivered through web and smartphone apps.The learning objectives for this episode are as follows:By the end of this episode, you should be able to…Recognize the unique mental health challenges and barriers

Welcome to PsychEd, the psychiatry podcast for medical learners, by medical learners.This short episode is about an approach to patients with psychotic symptoms.Hosts: Ravi Bhindi (CC3), Dr. Angad Singh (PGY2)Audio editing: Dr. Angad Singh (PGY2)Show notes: Dr. Angad Singh (PGY2)Infographic: Dr. Kate BraithwaiteReferences:Griswold, K. S., Del Regno, P. A., & Berger, R. C. (2015). Recognition and differential diagnosis of psychosis in primary care. American family physician, 91(12), 856-863.Hua, L. L., Alderman, E. M., Chung, R. J., Grubb, L. K., Lee, J., Powers, M. E., ... & Wallace, S. B. (2021). Collaborative care in the identification and management of psychosis in adolescents and young adults. Pediatrics, 147(6), e2021051486.Lieberman, J. A., & First, M. B. (2018). Psychotic disorders. New England Journal of Medicine, 379(3), 270-280.PsychDB. (2021, Jan 15). Psychotic Disorders. Retrieved July 15, 2025, from https://www.psychdb.com/psychosis/homePsychDB. (2022, Jan 26). Psychotic Depression. R

Welcome to PsychEd, the psychiatry podcast for medical learners, by medical learners.This episode covers catatonia with Dr. Patricia Rosebush. Dr. Rosebush is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences at McMaster University. She is the distinguished author of numerous articles on clinical neuroscience, including considerable work on mitochondrial disorders in mental illness and over 30 papers on catatonia, and practices consultation-liaison psychiatry at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton.The learning objectives for this episode are as follows:By the end of this episode, the listener will be able to…Develop a conceptual understanding of catatoniaHave an approach for diagnosing catatoniaHave an approach for treating catatoniaGuest: Dr. Patricia RosebushHosts: Dr. Alastair Morrison (PGY1), Dr. Angad Singh (PGY1)Audio editing: Dr. Angad SinghShow notes: Dr. Alastair MorrisonInterview content:(01:20) Clinical features of catatonia (high level overview)(04:15) Clinical anecdote - an

Welcome to PsychEd, the psychiatry podcast for medical learners, by medical learners. This short episode is about counselling patients on antidepressant medications.Hosts: Matthew Cho and Angad SinghAudio editing: Angad SinghTime Stamps:2:03 - Steps to antidepressant counselling7:31 - Frequently asked questions about antidepressantsRelated Episodes:PsychEd Episode 1: Diagnosis of Depression with Dr. Ilana ShawnPsychEd Episode 2: Treatment of Depression with Dr. Sidney KennedyPsychEd Episode 58: Depression in Children and Adolescents with Dr. Darren CourtneyPatient Education:UpToDate resource on ‘Medicines for Depression’: https://www.uptodate.com/contents/medicines-for-depression-the-basicsCAMH resource on ‘Antidepressant Medications’:https://www.camh.ca/en/health-info/mental-illness-and-addiction-index/antidepressant-medicationsKelty Mental Health resource on ‘Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors’: https://keltymentalhealth.ca/sites/default/files/resources/SSRI_MedicationSheet2022.pdf, References:PsychDB.